Gears



Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

J; HUBER.-

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I2. I9I8.

I I I H I I I I W5 1 f I 1 IIIIIIII IS III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I MEANS FORPREVENTING THE PREMATURE EXPLOSION 0F DEPTH MINE FIRING GEARS.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrion.

' JAMES HUBER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO VICKERSLIMITED,

OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND.

MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE PREMATURE EXPLOSION OF DEPTH-MINE FIRING-GEARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

Application filed February 12, 1918. Serial No. 216,817.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JAMES HUBER, a citizen of Switzerland, residing inthe city of Philadelphia and county of Philadelphia, State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means7 it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a firing gear for a depth mine andparticularly to means for preventing the premature firing of the mine,either because of the fact that it, is launched at high speed or becauseof the occurrenceof an explosion adjacent to the same.

Some difficulty has been experienced in launching these depth minesbecause of the fact that they often strike'the water in such positionthat they are immediately exploded.

This liability of exploding at this time is enhanced greatly because ofthe fact that the mines are usually launched from a ship which isproceeding at relatively high speed. Furthermore, it often occurs thatamine will explode in sympathy with a previously dropped mine, becauseof the sudden increase of pressure produced by the explosion of thelatter mine. Of course, the disadvantage of the mine exploding at eitherof the above referred to times is obvious.

It is, therefore, the primary object of my invention to construct a minewhich may be thrown from a ship proceeding at any speed whatever, withthe assurance that it will not explode upon its contact with the water,no matter in what position it strikes the latter and, furthermore, to soconstruct themine that it will be impossible for it to explode insympathy with an adjacent-explosion.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a section View of a firing gear showing the same in place ona mine and showing the safet device thereon;

Fig. 2 is an en arged sectional v1ew of a safety device showing the samein its closed position; 1

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a firing gear, and

Fig. 4 is asection of the same.

portion of the the-tube 5 within the ignition charge case 3, a

is a detonator receiver 7 in which is located the firing pin.Communication between the tube 5 and the receiver 7 is normallydestroyed by slides 8, which, however, are au-- tomatically moved up bythe detonator in its downward movement. This detonator 9 is supported bya detonator carrier 10, which is normally maintained in place by a supporting element 11, which element, however, is adapted to be shearedupon'the application of the proper pressure to the carrier.

A piston 12 is mounted in the upper end of the tube 5, and interposedbetween the piston and the carrier-10 is a spring 13, which normally isunder no, or at least very little, compression. The upper end of thetube 5 is-attached to a body portion or casting 14 by means, such asscrew threads. This body portion 14 is provided with a bore 15,whiohopens at 16 at its upper end and at its lower end communicates with theinterior of the guide tube. A chamber 17 intersects the bore 15 and itsaxis extends transversely thereof. In this chamber 17 a barrel 18 is'revolubly mounted, which barrel is mainment with the bore 15 toregulate the depth at which the water has access to the piston 12. Theshank 20 carries an indicator 22 which cooperates with a dial 23 andindicates the position of the barrel and the depth I at'which theparticular diaphragm which is being usedwill be ruptured. When the minethe diaphragm will permit the water to have access to the piston 12 tomove this piston toward the detonator carrier 10 until the spring 13 isunder such compression that the supporting element or wire 11 will besheared, at which time the detonator will be projected against thefiring pin and the mine fired.

The above described construction is similar to that described andclaimed in my above referred to co-pending application and furtherdescription of the same is, therefore, deemed unnecessary andinadvisable.

In order that the diaphragms may be ruptured by the pressure of thewater only after the mine reaches a predetermined and desired depth, Ihave provided the upper end of the body portion or casting 14 with aninternally threaded collar 24:, with which a cap 25 is engaged. This capis provided in its upperface with a plurality of openings 26, and in itsperipheral face with a plurality of openings 27 through which latteropenings the water may pass to the bore 16 in the body portion 14,communication being established through openings 28 in a spring support29. This latter element is maintained in place by the cap 25. A valve 30is located and operable in the cap 25 and is provided with a shank 31which extends into a guideway in the spring support 29. This valve isprovided with an upper face 32, against which the water which entersthrough the openings 26 in the cap acts, and with a lower annular face33, against which the water entering through the openings 27 acts. Itwill be noted that the area of the face 32 is considerably greater thanthe area of the annular face 33, so that the pressure tending to movethe valve downwardly will be greater than that tending to move the valveupwardly.

In order that the valve may be held in its uppermost position normally,a spring 34 is interposed between the spring support 29 and the valve30. This valve 30 is provided with a depending flange 35, which when thevalve is in its uppermost position is located above the openings 27, butwhen the valve is in its lowermost position abuts against an ppposingshoulder on the spring support 29.

n this position of the valve the openings 27, through which the waterhas access to the diaphragms 21, are closed and the pressure of thewater is thus prevented rupturing the diaphragms.

Surrounding the peripheral wall of the cap 25 is a flange 36 which isadapted, upon the descent of the mine in the water to prevent thesetting up of such eddies as will prevent the ingress of the water tothe diaphragms through the openings 27.

The diaphragm 37 extends across the upper end of the bore 15 and ismaintained in place by the cap 25. This diaphragm is made of frangiblematerial, and is adapted to be ruptured at the same pressure as thatrequired to rupture the diaphragms 21. An additional diaphragm 38 closesthe lower end of the bore 15 and is maintained in place by the tube 5.This diaphragm likewise is madeof frangible material and is adapted tobe ruptured at the same pressure.

When the mine is thrown overboard from a ship, or from any othersuitable carrier, the valve 30 will remain in the position illustratedin Fig. 1 if the firing gear does not strike the water first or beforethe mine has lost its velocity. Furthermore, the plunger will remain inthis position during the sink ing of the mine to a predetermined depthunder normal conditions, that is to say, if the pressure of the water isnot suddenly increased because of an adjacent explosion.

If the firing gear strikes the water first upon the launching of themine, or if an explosion occurred adjacent to the planted mine, thesudden increase of pressure will counteract the efl'ect of the spring 34and will cause the valve 30 to move downwardly until the flange 35thereof closes the openings 27 and thus prevents the breaking of thediaphragm 21 by the increased water pressure. It will be readilyunderstood that this downward movement of the valve takes place becauseof the fact that the area of the face 32 is greater than the area of theface 33 of the valve, and consequently the effec tive pressure tendingto move the valve downwardly is greater than that tending to move it inthe opposite direction. When the pressure again returns to normal, thespring 34 comes into operation and moves the valve to its initial orraised position, so that the water may have free access through theopenings 27 to the diaphragm and rupture the diaphragm when the minereaches the predetermined or desired depth.

It will be readily observed that the space within the Cap 25 is at alltimes filled with water, so that if the diaphragm 37 were omitted, thesudden downward movement of the valve 30 would be liable to cause therupturing of the diaphragm 21, owing to the fact that very little of thewater would be forced from the openings 27 and to the fact that thewater is practically non-compres sible. The diaphragm 37 has, therefore,been provided for the purpose of protecting the diaphragm 21, so thatthe space between the two diaphragms will be filled with air alone, Whenthe pressure of the water is suddenly increased so as to operate thevalve 30, the force exerted on the diaphragm 37 will distend the same,or may, as a matter of fact completely rupture it. In either case thereis such space between the diaphragm,

37 and the diaphragm 21 that the latter will not be effected. Of cOurse,if the diaphragm 37 is actually broken by the sudden increase ofpressure, the water will then have access to the'diaphragm 21, and ifthis diaphragm is subjected to such an increase of pressure,subsequently that too may be broken, in which case the diaphragm 38 willstill protect the spring operating piston 12. It is to be noted that ifnone of the diaphragms are ruptured by the sudden increase of pressure,the mine will still be fired at the proper depth, as all of thediaphragms'are arranged to be ruptured at the same pressure, so that theprogress of the water through the bore 15 to the piston 12 will beinterrupted only momentarily by the diaphragms.

It will be seen from the foregoing de scription of my invention that Ihave provided a very simple, and yet exceedingly efiicient device forpreventing the premature explosion of depth mines and one which will bepositive in its operation and which will overcome the very difiicultywhich is 110w being experienced in the casting of mines from movingships, and in the explosion of the mines before they have reached theproper depth by the explosion of a previously planted mine.

lVhat I claim is: y

l. The combination with a depth mine, of a firing gear therefor, saidgear including a water-pressure-operated detonator, a diaphragm forisolating said detonator, said diaphragm being constructed toruptureunder a predetermined Water pressure, and means for protectingaid diaphragm upon a sudden increase of the water pressure.

2. The combination with a depth mine, of a firing gear therefor, saidgear including a water-pressure-operated detonator, said detonator beingconstructed to operate upon the application of a predetermined waterpressure, and means to prevent the operation of said detonator when thewater pressure is suddenly increased.

3. The combination with a depth mine, of a firing gear therefor,including a waterpressure-operated detonator, a diaphragm for isolatingthe detonator, said diaphragm being constructed to rupture under apredetermined pressure, and means to destroy the access of the water tothe diaphragm upon a sudden rise of pressure to or beyond the point atwhich the diaphragm is constructed to rupture.

4. The combination with a depth mine, of a firing gear therefor, saidgear including a water-pressure-operated detonator, a dia-.

phragm for isolating the detonator, said diaphragm being constructed torupture under the application of a predetermined pressure, andautomatically operable means for preventing the rupturing of saiddiaphragm upon the sudden increase of the water pressure.

-5. The combination with a depth mine, of a firing gear thereforincluding a waterpressure-operated detonator, a diaphragm for isolatingsaid detonator, said diaphragm being constructed to rupture when themine reaches a predetermined depth, and means phragm until said depth isreached.

7. The combination with a depth mine, of a firing gear therefor, saidgear includinga water-pressure-operated detonator, a diaphragm forisolating the same, which diaphragm is constructed to be ruptured by thewater pressure at a predetermined depth, and an automatically operablevalve for preventing the rupturing of said diaphragm until said depth isreached.

8. The combination with a depth mine, of a firing gear therefor, saidgear including a water pressure operated detonator, of means fordestroying communication between the detonator actuating mechanism andthe water, said means being rendered inoperative by predetermined waterpressure, and an automatically operable valve for protecting said means.

9. The combination with a depth mine,

of a firing gear therefor, said gear including a water pressure operateddetonator, a frangible diaphragm for protecting said detonator, atwo-surface valve for destroying communication between the Water and thediaphragm upon a sudden increase of pressure, and means for renderingthe valve inoperative under normal pressure.

10. The combination with a depth mine, of a firing gear therefor, saidgear including a guide tube, a water pressure operated detonator in saidtube, a diaphragm closingsaid tube, but adapted to be ruptured upon theapplication of the predetermined water pressure, a valve beneath whichthe water has access to said diaphragm, the upper effective surfaceof'said valve being greater than the lower effective surface, wherebyupon a sudden increase of pressure the valve will be lowered to destroycommunication between the water and the diaphragm.

11. The combination with a depth mine, with a' firing gear including aguide tube, a water pressure operated detonator in said tube, afrangible diaphragm closing said tube, a cap mounted above saiddiaphragm and through which communication is established between thewater and the diaphragm, the water openings being in the side of saidcap, a valve located within the cap and having an upper efi'ectivesurface of greater area than its lower effective surface and directlyaccessible to the water, a spring for holding the valve in itspredetermined position normally to permit the access of the Water to thediaphragm, said spring being, however, of such resistance as to per mitthe lowering of the valve and the destroying of said access upon asudden increase of water pressure.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

- JA'IMES HUBER.

